PRAXES to support Clipper Round the World Race

PRAXES Medical Group has signed on as the Global Medical Emergency Support Partner for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race to provide global medical emergency coverage for Clipper Race crew.

Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, PRAXES will provide the Clipper Race with their 24-hour EMdoc service which gives immediate access to physicians who are trained in emergency medicine while their EMwerx software will track the medical information for all participating Clipper Race crew and skippers, allowing specialist care to be delivered during an emergency situation.

PRAXES CEO Susan Helliwell said: “We are delighted to be partners with the Clipper Round the World Race. Both of our organizations are focused on reducing risk at sea. Our EMdoc service will be on call and ready to respond to crew and skipper24/7.”

In the event of an incident on board during the Clipper Race, the skipper will be able to call PRAXES for medical advice. The on call physician will have access to the crew members’ medical history to be able to diagnose remotely and recommend appropriate treatment.

PRAXES physicians are all highly trained specialists in remote triage, who regularly give telephone advice to naval vessels, oil rigs, air transport programmes, poison information centres and other health professionals in a variety of remote settings.

As well as providing peace of mind for crew and their loved ones, it is expected the service will significantly reduce the number of in-port hospital visits and medevac situations during the race.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Chairman and Founder of the Clipper Race said: “The Clipper Race crew will take on the most dangerous oceans in the world during their adventure and their safety is always our prime concern. Having PRAXES’ support during the race will give reassurance to the crew and their loved ones that, should anything happen during the race they will have access to the best medical care.”

Nova Scotia native Jim Cole, a crew member on board New York, suffered an injury during the Clipper 11-12 Race.
The 73-year-old from Halifax said: “Had this service been available during the Clipper 11-12 Race, it could have been very helpful when I managed to break a finger on the North Atlantic crossing from Halifax to Ireland. The doctor who had been on board, had to leave earlier in New York for medical reasons, so we were more or less left to our own devices in terms of dealing with the injury. No question, the PRAXES service could have played a very valuable role had it been available.”

All Clipper Race crew will be given the opportunity to upload their medical histories to EMwerx prior to the start of the race where it will be kept confidentially in case of emergency.

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information on the Clipper Race please visit www.clipperroundtheworld.com
For media information or interview requests please contact:

Marina Thomas, PR Manager
Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required

For further information on PRAXES visit www.praxes.ca or for interview requests please contact :

About PRAXES Medical Group
PRAXES has been supporting remote workers in dangerous environments since 1997. Its global Telemedicine service is Canada’s premiere telemedicine service for industry. It also supplies a range of medical services from medical exams to the set up and operation of remote medical clinics. The PRAXES mission is to improve remote health care while simultaneously reducing cost and risk for clients.

About Clipper Ventures Plc
Clipper Ventures Plc was established in 1995 by legendary yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world in 1968-69. Sir Robin founded the company on the premise that sailing should be made available to everyone, regardless of age or experience. So he launched the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 1996. The company owns and operates its own matched fleet of ocean racing yachts and so far more than 3,000 people have competed in the eight editions of the Clipper Race to date. The company also owns the rights to the professional solo round the world VELUX 5 OCEANS race and runs a successful events division offering corporate sailing and development programmes. Today Clipper Ventures is recognised as a leading international marine events company which is focused on developing and promoting major global events such as the Clipper Race.

Clipper 13-14 Round the World Yacht Race
The Clipper 13-14 Round the World Yacht Race will start in summer (UK) 2013 and return almost a year later after completing the 40,000 miles route, making it the world’s longest ocean race. The event was established by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston to give everyone, regardless of sailing experience, the opportunity to discover the exhilaration of ocean racing. 650 people representing more than 40 nations will compete in the Clipper 13-14 Race on twelve brand new 70-foot yachts designed by renowned naval architect Tony Castro. It’s the largest race ever. Crew members can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more of eight legs. The only qualification for the race is the minimum age of 18 (there is no upper age limit) plus a thirst for adventure. The overall race is divided into individual stages and points are accumulated in a Formula 1-style scoring system. The yacht with the highest total points at the finish wins the Clipper Trophy.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
It’s nearly 45 years since Sir Robin Knox-Johnston set off on his record breaking solo and non-stop circumnavigation in 1968-69. Now, as Executive Chairman and founding Director of Clipper Ventures Plc, he is at the forefront of promoting round the world yacht racing. Sir Robin has been involved in sailing all his life and holds a Department of Transport Master’s Certificate. He set the record for the fastest circumnavigation with Sir Peter Blake. In 2007; he completed his second solo circumnavigation when he competed in the VELUX 5 OCEANS race. Sir Robin has considerable experience of the administration of round the world races having served on the Whitbread Race committee from 1990 to 1994 and having organised the BOC Challenge Round the World Race in 1982 and 1986. He has been named RYA/YJA Yachtsman of the Year an unprecedented three times and participated in the 2010 Sydney-Hobart race at the age of 71.